Category Archives: Training

As we know brewing is a fantastic industry with great people, art, science, creativity and flavour! Additions towards the end of the boil can include; flavoursome late hops, the all-important Protafloc, yeast nutrients and a wide range of sugars spices and speciality ingredients.

However, with any process involving vast quantities of boiling sugary liquid there are risks and it is worth taking some time to give some tips from our team’s collective experiences to make kettle additions as safe as possible.

There are a vast array of brew-kettle designs out there, so this is not an exhaustive list, but it should cover some of the keys points should you have to make additions through the manway door. Feel free to post any further insights you feel are valid.

Make sure the heat source isoff! This seems like an obvious one but with the hectic brewing schedules and multi-tasking that can go on in a brewery it is easily done on manual kits with no lock out protection.

Linked to the one above, ensure that leaks or faulty valves do not make you think you have turned off the heat source when you haven’t.

Staff Training, structured procedures, working instructions and relevant safety equipment. This not only helps protect the people in the brewery but also the business if an accident were to happen.

Clean chimney flue, free of blockages!

If possible mixing/agitation to prevent “heat pockets” these can be disturbed by the additions, leading to a boil over.

Regular cleaning of the element: This should prevent uneven heating which can produce boil over issues, alongside which it’ll also save you a bit of money through greater energy efficiency and have wort beer quality benefits.

Antifoam: As the name suggests using this will reduce the likelihood of bubbles forming leading to extra capacity, better hop utilisation, easier cleaning and counter intuitively better final beer foam as foam positive proteins are not wasted upstream in the process. This should not be relied upon by itself as a safety measure as the safety benefits are offset by the use of the extra capacity.

Sacrificial/test additions: A small amount say 10% of the total additions can be added to reduce the severity of nucleation affects. The rest can be even added in small stages if required.

Having an escape route! If a boil over was to happen, keeping access free and visible so that everyone can get out of the way.

Sharing information and best practise with other brewers. Learning from mistakes is very powerful and being open and honest about accidents & near misses may very well help protect a brewer in the future

Author: Adam Johnson

Headline image courtesy of the Younger Members Network – Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

We are happy to announce the dates and initial details of our training days for 2018!

Murphy Training Days take place between 9.30am and 4.30pm, cost £95 +VAT and include lunch, with a maximum of 15 places available on each. In addition to which, each delegate will receive a USB containing the presentations from the day and a certificate.

All our training takes place at our historic Prince of Wales Brewery site in Nottingham and offers the opportunity to discuss and learn more about a particular element of the brewing process with members of our technical team. Murphy Training Days are pitched at a beginner to intermediate level and designed for those looking to expand or refresh their brewing knowledge, with opportunity for questions and in-depth discussion throughout.

To check availability and reserve your place, please email events@murphyandson.co.uk and include the training date(s) you’re interested in, your email address, full name, brewery name and a contact number (as relevant).

Once booked you will receive a confirmation email and be contacted by a member of our Customer Service Team to organise payment. Closer to the date we will circulate a detailed agenda for the day and all the logistical information you might require, but please don’t hesitate to send a question our way should you have one in the meantime.

Murphy Training Day 1 – IMPROVING THE STABILITY OF BEER

AVAILABLE DATES: Thursday 22nd February or Thursday 26th July 2018.Led by Master Brewer and Technical Sales Representative Nick Brading.

This course will cover liquor composition and effect on stability, brewhouse control, carrageenan, isinglass and auxiliary finings. The training will also delve into the importance of stable beer in cask preparation and small pack production. Providing all the basics needed to brew quality beer with confidence.

Murphy Training Day 2 – YEAST: MANAGING YOUR BREWING PARTNER

AVAILABLE DATES: Thursday 22nd March or Thursday 30th August 2018.Led by Technical Brewer and Technical Sales Representative Adam Johnson.

There is no beer without yeast! Our yeast training provides an introduction to this vital microorganism, options available to the modern brewer and a guide to using and handling yeast in the brewery. This will provide a general overview as well as a more in depth discussion of the fermentation process, handling live yeast, maintenance and microbiology and last but most certainly not least, brewery hygiene.

Murphy Training Day 3 – LABORATORY TECHNIQUES IN BREWING

AVAILABLE DATES: Thursday 26th April or Thursday 27th September 2018.Led by Master Brewer and Technical Manager Richard Haywood.

The day will include an examination of water analysis and its impact on beer quality, from core principles to specialist analysis and application. After this the team will focus on the application of chemistry and microbiological testing methods in the brewery, and finally, a demonstration of how to perform a finings optimisation. Come away with the skills to create consistent beer with confidence.

This training features practical activities in our lab, so is limited to a maximum of 10 attendees only.

Murphy Training Day 4 – QUALITY MANAGEMENT FOR BREWERIES

AVAILABLE DATES: Thursday 24th May or Thursday 25th October 2018.Led by Master Brewer and Technical Manager Richard Haywood.

This days training will provide an overview of a Quality Management System, thus arming the brewer ready for their initial foray with the subject. Also covered will be HACCP, due diligence programs and last but not least, SALSA and legal requirements. Come armed with your questions, as they’ll be lots of time to discuss and answer these throughout.

Murphy Training Day 5 – THE BASICS OF PRODUCTION FOR KEG, CAN AND BOTTLE

AVAILABLE DATES: Thursday 28th June or Thursday 29th November 2018.Led by Technical Brewer and Technical Sales Representative Iain Kenny.

The day looks at the central role of stable beer in keg, can and bottle production and the practical techniques that you can apply to help ensure this. Also covered will be an introduction to the different carbonation, filtration and filling methods available, both as a starting point to begin or an aid to refine in-house production. Advice on selecting the right contract packager and further insight from the team at Applied Minerals will also feature.

If you require that we come to you and/or tailor the day to your particular requirements, then we recommend you request a Murphy Master Class. Our master classes range from a presentation to your staff at your brewery on any of the subjects featured in our training, right through to a full days walk through and detailed assessment of your process. Simply email events@murphyandson.co.uk to find out more.

We’ve been discussing the expected malt specifications for the coming year with our malt suppliers and wanted to feed back so you can prepare and tweak your recipes as required.

The malt nitrogens coming into breweries with the new seasons malt are likely to be higher than usual, at around 1.7%. The winters are not expected to be quite as high, but are still above average, predicted at up to 1.5%. This is a result of environmental factors, as last year saw low rainfall which made it harder for the barley to establish properly. Blame the British weather, it’s a national habit and we brewers are no different. You can however, prepare for this and if you need any technical support in doing so, we’re always on hand. The key implications revolve around your use of copper and auxiliary finings, the rates of which will need to be reoptimised once malt is in breweries and will likely increase. You can expect to see the first malts of this harvest in breweries across the country from mid-February onwards.

Could do with a bit more information on the matter? No problem!

It starts with the farmers, who sow different varieties of malting barley in autumn and early winter, known as “winters” and again in spring, known as “springs”, both of which are harvested from early July onwards. The latter are becoming more popular as they tend to be easier to grow but do require more fertiliser to get a decent yield by harvest time. Winters don’t require as much fertiliser making them cheaper for the farmer but extract value to the brewer tends to be less.

In brewing, we refer to the percentage of protein present in the malt as percentage nitrogen, it is quoted on malt analyses and used as a price guide and quality indicator. For example, feed barleys have a high protein content to feed the animals. Brewers however, want nitrogens to be lower, at around 1.4-1.5%. This provides enough yeast growth, flavour and beer foam without any substantial problems with haze, stability and excess yeast growth, above these levels and the later can become an issue. There is therefore, always a focus on this parameter at harvest and purchase time.

How come the percentage nitrogen is predicted as being higher in British malt this year?

The issue is in fact that of last year, where we saw a prolonged dry winter and spring in the main growing regions of the UK, resulting in crops not establishing well. To help crops along, farmers spread higher amounts of fertiliser which in turn pushed the nitrogens up. This is because the fertiliser is taken up by the growing plant and deposited in the developing ears of corn which are the grains harvested as barley for the malt crop. Had they not done this, the crop may well have failed altogether, something which did happen in a small number of districts resulting in some shortage too. The maltsters work with what they get off the fields, blending barleys to get an overall consistency which they can sell to brewers. However from a brewer’s perspective, with already high nitrogens and a limited supply, the quality of malt coming onto the market is weaker when compared to the previous years’ crop. Therefore, the forecast is less stable beer.

As brewers there are various techniques at our disposal to control protein (nitrogen) in the brewing process, and this is where we at Murphys specialise! Carrageenan and auxiliary finings are both process aids that remove this protein. It follows therefore, that brewers will require more of these products to treat the higher nitrogen malt expected this year. Something which we can support with our optimisation services and technical expertise, provided to you by a team of master brewers. Choosing Murphys will be an invaluable decision in 2018.

Beer Dimensions have been sharing beer and brewing expertise with new and old brewers alike, since 2005.

Paul Buttrick and Derek Orford, both qualified Master Brewers, have held senior positions in a number of breweries producing famous brands such as Boddingtons, Murphy’s Stout, Heineken, Stella Artois and Tooheys. Their experience covers all aspects of beer and brewing technology and know-how, supporting breweries in the UK and internationally.

Craft/Microbrewery Start-Up & DevelopmentPaul and Derek have successfully supported a number of start-ups, both in the UK and Europe, from feasibility study all the way through to commissioning and ongoing support.

Process Design & OptimisationThis covers both new and existing plant, to improve beer quality, production efficiency, and capacity utilisation.

TroubleshootingYears of experience, and the highest level of technical know-how, enable a service to be delivered for any quality issue, related to any aspect of the process.

Designing & Developing RecipesBeer Dimensions has developed many award-winning brands from scratch, across a wide range of beer styles.

License & Franchise BrewingBoth partners have been closely involved as both licensors and licensees of big beer brands. Paul worked with Cobra Beer for a number of years, whilst Derek is currently supporting the international rollout of Toast Ale.

Beer Tasting & Flavour ProfilingAs accredited tasters with a number of breweries, and experienced beer judges, both partners have a detailed understanding of beer flavour, and the process design and raw material selection needed to create something new or improve the drinker’s appreciation of your beer.

Promoting Beer & Beer and Food MatchingDerek qualified as a Beer Sommelier in 2013, teaches for the Beer Academy, and has run a number of successful beer and food events.

Aligning Brands with Consumer NeedsPaul and Derek have worked closely with Sales and Marketing teams to ensure brewers and marketers have a clear, unambiguous understanding of what the drinker is looking for and how this is to be delivered by the brewer.

Beer WritingPaul has written a number of well-regarded articles for brewing industry journals covering key parts of the brewing process.

Locum Brewing & TrainingFor breweries which need more sustained technical support, brewery leadership, or brewer development, Derek is available for longer assignments, both at home in the UK and abroad.

The Beer Hub exists to offer a range of Consultancy Services allowing brewers and publicans to to ensure the safety, quality and consistency of serve.

The Beer Hub also offers a range of beer events that can be tailored to meet your needs. These events are a great way to educate and enthuse your staff while raising the profile of your beers.

One area I am keen to help brewers and pub owners with is supporting the quality of their beers in trade. Recent articles I have written for Cellar Craft have had very positive responses from the industry and has led on to me working with a number of companies who have identified that the integrity of their brands can be seriously affected by poor practices at the point of dispense.By designing and delivering bespoke onsite training and support packages The Beer Hub is able to help mitigate some of these issues.

Working with a local micro brewery I have developed a beer brand BeerHub #1 a golden ale that is dry hopped with Mosaic hops to give it a soft apricot fruity nose.

The beer came second in the local CAMRA beer festival and is now sold in a number of pubs across the Midlands. I also work with big and small brewers covering everything from brewery start ups to supporting a National Brewers craft ale strategy and even acting as a consultant to a client looking to introduce Kombucha, fermented tea, into the market.

A bit about me

After graduating from Heriot Watt Brewing school I have worked for a number of regional brewers namely Sam Smiths, Marston and latterly at Everards where I was the Quality Assurance Manager responsible for the quality of their products from raw materials through to final beer dispense.

I have been very fortunate to work in all areas of the brewing process and also to work within the trade which I believe gives me a unique insight as not many brewers can claim to have worked from grain to glass. Part of my responsibilities have been to run Technical Services departments and in this role I have been involved in training and auditing licences to ensure that the quality products brewed in the brewery are served to the end consumers as the brewer intended.

Over the last 10 years I have run numerous Meet the Brewer events in pubs and venues across the country, speaking to over 8000 customers sharing my passion for beer, brewing and beer food matchings.
In 2016 I successfully gained the Beer Academy’s Beer Sommelier award becoming the first Beer Sommelier in Leicestershire. I now train on behalf of the Beer Academy and run customer beer classes across the UK. I have also written articles for the press and spoken on the radio about beer and beer and food matchings.

Please take a look at The Beer Hub for a full description of the areas that I cover.
Tel: 07752 200280

As a brewer you may have a problem with beerstone build-up in brewing vessels and containers.
Beerstone is a compound called calcium oxalate, and if not completely removed can harbour microorganisms. Beerstone is a common factor in wild yeast infections within breweries, it can also act as a nucleation point and cause gushing.
The removal of this material is carried out by using a concentrated formulation of nitric and phosphoric acids.

Nipac B is designed primarily for this application in breweries and is formulated to be low foaming and is suitable for use in recirculation applications. It can be used as an alternative to caustic based detergents in breweries for the cleaning of bright beer tanks and tankers whilst under CO2 atmosphere. A gel version exists for manual application where recirculation of the product is not possible.

· Excellent mineral and protein removal
· Aids removal of beer and milk stains
· Safe for use on Stainless Steel
· Can be used under CO2 atmospheres
· Suitable for use in CIP applications.
For more information and dosage rates please click on the following:
NIPAC B Technical Data sheet. Please contact our sales line or sales email to purchase this product.

Water, Water Everywhere

We take treating your liquor very seriously at Murphy’s. If you purchase any of our liquor treatments please remember you are entitled to a free liquor analysis and our technical support. We will recommend the most suitable treatment for your brewery.

Send in 50ml of your water to our Laboratory

Introduction

Beer contains approximately 90% water, and the importance of the liquor to final beer quality cannot be over-estimated. Historically a correlation was observed between the liquor composition of an area and the type of beer that the region could best brew. The Pale Ales of Burton-on-Trent and Edinburgh, Porters of London, Stouts of Dublin and Lagers of Pilsen are classic examples. Water falling as rain, hail, sleet or snow is pure, but dissolves gasses such as oxygen and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. On reaching the ground the water runs off into rivers, streams and lakes and on in some cases to reservoirs. The composition of the water in the reservoirs is dependent upon the nature of the catchment area. In areas where the rocks are hard, the water will not penetrate deeply, and will be ‘soft’ – that is low in dissolved salts. In areas where the rocks are more permeable – gypsum or limestone for example – water will penetrate readily and dissolve many minerals on its way to the reservoirs to become ‘hard’.

The water supplied by local Water Authorities is required to be potable – that is fit to drink and free from pathogenic organisms. In order to reduce microbiological counts chlorine will usually be added, but the water is not sterile. Fortunately however the micro organisms found in water are not beer spoilage organisms, being unable to survive the conditions of high ethanol and hop resin levels and low pH found in beers. So the objective of liquor treatment is to convert the water sent to us by the Water Authorities into acceptable brewing liquor. This we achieve by the removal of unwanted ions and addition of required levels of desirable ions

DWB Liquor Treatment from Murphy’s

Calcium

Of the ions required for brewing, calcium is by far the most important. This is because of the acidifying effect that calcium has on the wort.

Wort contains large amounts of phosphates derived from the malt, and these have a buffering effect – that is they tend to mop up hydrogen ions and keep the pH higher than desired. Calcium ions precipitate phosphates as insoluble calcium phosphate and release hydrogen ions into the wort. It is worth mentioning at this point that whilst the pH of the wort is critical, that of the water in the HLT is not. The pH of water may vary from about pH 5 to pH 8 dependent upon the levels of dissolved carbon dioxide – even de-ionised water can have pH levels as low as 5 after exposure to the air. However the carbon dioxide is driven off by heat in the HLT and the pH of the water will rise.

A combination of the presence of calcium ions and the decrease in pH has a number of effects on the brewing process:

The optimum pH for ß-amylase activity is about 4·7. Wort produced from liquor containing no calcium has a pH in the order of 5·8 – 6·0, compared to values in the range of 5·3 – 5·5 for worts produced from treated brewing liquor. The activity of the ß-amylase then is greatly enhanced by the addition of calcium, this exo enzyme increasing the production of maltose from Amylose, and thus making worts more fermentable.

Calcium has an almost ‘chicken and egg’ effect in the precipitation of wort proteins, both during mashing and during the boil.

Protein-H + Ca2+ Protein-Ca + 2H+

The hydrogen ions released further reduce the pH which encourages further precipitation of proteins. Proteins are also degraded, that is converted to simpler substances by proteolytic enzymes called proteases. These are found in the malt, and have optimum activity at pH values of about 4·5 – 5·0. The reduction in pH then caused by the presence of calcium encourages proteolysis, further reducing protein levels and increasing wort Free Amino Nitrogen levels (FAN). FAN compounds are utilised by the yeast during fermentation for the manufacture of Amino acids, and an increase in FAN levels in the wort improves the health and vigour of the yeast. High protein levels in beers also have negative effects, making beer more difficult to fine and encouraging formation of hazes, in particular chill hazes. Product shelf life can also be adversely affected.

Calcium ions protect the enzyme a-amylase from inhibition by heat.

a-amylase is an endo enzyme, cleaving the internal 1,4 glucosidic links of amylopectin resulting in a rapid reduction in wort viscosity.

It can be seen then that the presence of calcium has positive effects on the activity of both a-amylase and ß-amylase, two of the most important enzymes in the brewing process.

The drop in pH encouraged by Calcium ions in the mash and copper helps afford the wort and subsequent beer produced a greater resistance to microbiological infection.

The reduced pH of the sparge liquor reduces extraction of undesirable silicates, tannins and polyphenols from the mash bed.

The extraction of such materials is encouraged by alkaline sparge liquor. These materials are very undesirable, contributing to harsh flavours, hazes in the finished beer and decreased beer stability.

Calcium precipitates oxalates as insoluble calcium oxalate.

This again occurs in both the mash tun and the copper. Oxalates cause hazes in finished beers and also contribute to the formation of beerstone in FV’s, CT’s and casks. Oxalates are also thought to promote gushing in certain beers, although this is not generally a problem to the micro brewer.

The presence of calcium reduces colour formation in the copper.

This is due to the reduction of extraction of colour forming compounds such as anthocyanogens and pro-anthocyanidins during the sparge. The reaction: Reducing Sugar + Heat Melanoidins is also inhibited.

Calcium ions improve beer fining performance.

Calcium ions encourage yeast flocculation – being a divalent Cation it has a natural affinity for negatively charged yeast cells.
With all the above advantages of the presence of calcium and reduction in pH there is one minor disadvantage.

The reduction in pH causes a decrease in hop utilisation, giving less bitter beers.

This increases hopping costs, since more hops will be required to achieve a desired level of bitterness. However the optimum pH for hop isomerisation as used in the commercial production of isomerised hop extracts is about pH 10, so a reduction from pH 5·8 in a mash with untreated liquor to pH 5·1 out of copper for a treated brew is not too critical.

You will see that much of the calcium added to the mash is lost – precipitated out as phosphate, proteinate or oxalate. Since calcium is specifically required in the copper for further precipitation of these materials it is common to add calcium to the grist or Hot Liquor Tank and to then make a second addition to the copper. Where this is not practical it is quite acceptable to make a larger addition to the grist or to the H.L.T.

Bicarbonate

This ion needs to be very closely controlled in order to achieve good beer. High levels of bicarbonate cause high pH values throughout the brewing process according to the equation:

It should be noted that bicarbonate ions are rather more effective at raising wort pH than calcium ions are at reducing it.
The conversion of bicarbonate to carbonic acid is reversible until heat is applied, which drives off the carbon dioxide. This effectively removes the acidic hydrogen ion from the system by using it to form a stable water molecule. The wort pH therefore remains high and all the advantages derived from the presence of adequate calcium levels and reduced pH are lost.

We therefore see the following:

Harsh after-tastes in the finished beer

Extract will be reduced due to lower ß-amylase activity

Reduced protein precipitation due to high pH

Worts and beer more prone to infection

Increased extract of undesirable materials in the sparge, notably silicates, polyphenols and tanning

The net result of this is then to decrease beer stability and shelf life and to increase the likelihood of troublesome hazes. Colour will be darker, and flavour will be detrimentally affected. Hop utilisation will be increased, giving more bitter beers. It is then essential to ensure removal of excess bicarbonate. You will recall from Figure 1 that a hard water may contain 250 mgs/l of bicarbonate. The maximum level that can be tolerated without adverse effect for the production of pale ales is 50 mgs/l, and the preferred level would be about 25 mgs/l. It should also be noted that whilst additions of calcium may be made to HLT, grist and copper, the removal of bicarbonate must be achieved in the Hot Liquor Tank.

This may be done in a number of ways:

Deionsiation: Very effective, but high capital and revenue costs.

Lime treatment: Addition of carefully controlled amounts of lime (calcium hydroxide) to the HLT will precipitate the bicarbonate as calcium carbonate.

There are 2 major drawbacks:

The amount added needs to be exactly calculated and over addition may result in an overall increase in alkalinity.

The precipitated calcium carbonate can form a sludge on the bottom of the HLT that will need periodic cleaning.

Boiling: This again is a traditional method of removal of bicarbonate (Temporary Hardness) but again has 2 drawbacks:

Very expensive.

Only effective where the alkalinity is present as bicarbonate. If the levels of sodium, potassium or magnesium carbonates or hydroxides present are significant boiling will not be effective.

Acid Treatment: Now the most widely used method, for a number of reasons:

Relatively inexpensive.

Easy to use and does not produce sludge in the HLT

May add desirable anions – sulphate or chloride.

Can use phosphoric or lactic acids if no anions are wanted – eg for lager beers.

AMS Murphy and Son Liquor Treatment

It is essential to rouse the liquor when acid treating in order to encourage the removal of the carbon dioxide. This can have corrosive effects on the materials of construction of HLT’s if left in solution.

Magnesium:

Is an essential element of brewing liquor because it is required by yeast as a co-factor for the production of certain enzymes required for the fermentation process. It is invariable formulated into liquor treatments at relatively low levels.

However caution must be exercised for 3 reasons:

Excess magnesium can interfere with the reactions of calcium because its phosphates are more soluble

Above about 20 mgs/l magnesium can give beer a sour and bitter taste

In excess magnesium has a laxative effect

Sodium:

Is present in all beers. Excessive levels are undesirable as it imparts a sour and salty taste at high concentrations. The flavour is more acceptable when the sodium is present as chloride than as sulphate.

Potassium:

Is, like magnesium, a yeast co-factor and is required at trace levels for satisfactory fermentations. It is more acceptable than sodium from a flavour point of view, giving a salty taste without the sour notes. It is also gaining some favour as Doctors warn of the effects of high sodium intake on blood pressure. However potassium salts are very much more expensive than the sodium equivalents, and in excess potassium has laxative effects on the beer.

Sulphate and Chloride:

It is convenient to discuss the effect of these two ions together. Much is made in brewing literature of the impact of these ions on beer flavour characteristics – sulphate gives beer a drier, more bitter flavour, whilst chloride imparts palate fullness and to an extent sweetness. However what must be noted is that it is the ratio of the concentrations of these two ions that is significant, rather than simply the actual concentrations. A ratio of about 2:1 sulphate to chloride is about right for a bitter beer, and it makes little difference if the actual values are 500:250 or 350:175 mgs/l. As will be seen in Figure 3 ratios of 1:2 sulphate:chloride are recommended for mild ales, whilst a ratio of 1:3 may give best results for stouts or porters.

Sulphate and Chloride: It is convenient to discuss the effect of these two ions together. Much is made in brewing literature of the impact of these ions on beer flavour characteristics – sulphate gives beer a drier, more bitter flavour, whilst chloride imparts palate fullness and to an extent sweetness. However what must be noted is that it is the ratio of the concentrations of these two ions that is significant, rather than simply the actual concentrations. A ratio of about 2:1 sulphate to chloride is about right for a bitter beer, and it makes little difference if the actual values are 500:250 or 350:175 mgs/l. As will be seen in Figure 3 ratios of 1:2 sulphate:chloride are recommended for mild ales, whilst a ratio of 1:3 may give best results for stouts or porters.

Sulphur is essential for the fermentation process, since the yeast needs to manufacture the two sulphur containing amino acids, cysteine and methionine. Some yeast strains will use sulphur from sulphate ions for this purpose and will then excrete any excess as sulphite ions. These can then be reduced to form hydrogen sulphide or sulphur dioxide. Both of these materials have characteristic pungent odours and even at low levels can give unacceptable sulphury noses to the beer. Bacteria also have the ability to produce a wide variety of sulphury off flavours, including rubber, garlic and cooked vegetable.

Nitrate:

Levels of Nitrate are beginning to drop generally due to greater control of the use of nitrogenous fertilisers. Nitrates themselves are not a problem at levels below 50 mgs/l, however they can be reduced by yeast or bacteria to form Nitrites. These ions can then react with wort amines to form Nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.

Trace Ions:

Metals such as Iron, Manganese, Copper and Zinc may be found in small quantities in water and are all utilised by yeast at levels below 1 ppm. Higher levels can cause colloidal hazes and metallic off flavours, particularly with higher levels of Iron. Silica should also be at very low levels in brewing liquor because of the likelihood of colloidal hazes being formed. Ammonia should be absent in brewing liquors, being indicative of contamination by sewage. Fluorine, present in most waters at about 1 ppm for dental purposes, has no detectable effect on the brewing process. However Chlorine, used for sterilisation, may be at relatively high levels at certain times of the year. This can cause problems since chlorine is a very reactive chemical and will readily react with organics to form chlorophenols. These have a medicinal (T.C.P.) flavour which is in some cases detectable at levels below 1 ppb. Chlorine will be lost to some degree by the heat in the Hot Liquor Tank, but not all water used within the brewery is from that source. Some brewers may use untreated liquor to break down to gravity in fermenter, and rinsing following caustic or acid cleaning cycles will typically be with untreated mains liquor. One solution is to treat both Hot and Cold Liquor Tanks with 10 ppm of Salicon Liquid 169 (20 mls in 10 brls liquor) and rouse vigorously to remove the chlorine. The sulphur dioxide reacts with chlorine in the manner described below – reducing reactive, undesirable and potentially harmful chlorine ions to chlorides.

Typical Liquor Analyses for Beer Types:

Bitter

Mild

Porter

Lager

Calcium

170

100

100

50

Magnesium

15

10

10

2

Bicarbonate

25

50

100

25

Chloride

200

200

300

10

Sulphate

400

150

100

10

Nitrate – As low as possible
Metals – Zn, Cu, Fe,Mn Less than 1 ppm All figures are in ppm (mgs/ltr)

For good brewing you need a healthy yeast with a good viability, a good cell count and free from contamination.

You can monitor the viability of your yeast by using a methylene blue stain, as dead or dying cells stain blue. The staining can be easily seen under a microscope.

You can perform a yeast count by using a Haemocytometer. A haemocytometer consists of a defined grid etched onto the slide surface. The number of cells per ml can be calculated.

There are two types of microbiological contamination, wild yeasts and bacteria, both these contaminants can cause hazes and off flavours.

You can monitor the presence and levels of contamination using the microscope, by identifying rod shaped bacteria (bacilli) and round shaped bacteria (cocci).

You can observe for wild yeast by looking at cell shape, size, opacity and uniformity. This often goes hand in hand with knowing your own yeast and getting to know its appearance under the microscope .

If you are interested in purchasing a microscope from Murphy and Son Ltd here are the following options:

Why not take part in one of our training days either at your own site or at our historic Prince of Wales Brewery Site in Nottingham?

You will be able to discuss the brewing process with one of our master brewers. Either learning for the first time or retraining in one or more of our specific categories.

All courses cost £85 + vat and include food and drink. Each delegate is given a USB containing the presentations to take home on the day.

All courses here at Nottingham start around 9.30am and finish around 4.30pm.

Available dates are shown below, please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If travelling is an issue, you can arrange a training day at your own brewery or at a local location. We can help you create a bespoke course for you. We will charge you our daily consultancy rate plus travel expenses and you can have as many delegates as you wish. We can even arrange for other brewers in your area to attend, who will pay you for the course.

LABORATORY DAY 2017

Thursday 27th April

Thursday 24th August – CANCELLED!

Introducing you to basic science to produce beer with consistent quality. This course will cover the malting process, the mash, enzymes, pH buffering, the boil, protein coagulation, colour increase and flavour changes. You will be advised what equipment can be used to monitor pH’s, colour and bitterness and haze and there will be a demonstration on how to perform an optimisation and much more.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL AWARENESS 2017

Thursday 25th May

Thursday 28th September

A training day that runs through the “world” of QA and QC. Aim is to arm the brewer ready for their initial foray with the subject. The course will cover: process monitoring and the process, microbiology, record keeping and quality systems i.e what does SALSA and HACCP want and what is it?

(PAST) BEER CLARITY 2017

Thursday 16th February

Thursday 29th June

This course will cover liquor composition and effect on stability, Brewhouse control, carrageenan, isinglass and auxiliary finings and cask preparation. The day ends with a very constructed troubleshooting session which leads to question and answers.

(PAST) YEAST MANAGEMENT 2017

Thursday 30th March

Thursday 13th July

This will cover the general overview of yeast, the fermentation process, handling live yeast, microbiology and cleaning and basic CIP.

The National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) is the UK’s premier collection of yeast cultures, holding over 4100 strains collected over 65 years.

From supply of yeast in bulk to safe and secure storage of your own strains, the NCYC offers wide ranging services to microbrewers.

Our confidential yeast bank will help you to protect your production yeast against mishaps. Once stored in liquid nitrogen we can guarantee supply of a pure and genetically stable sample whenever you need it.

We also offer purity checks and quality control analysis for your samples.

If you are looking for a special brew opportunity or a more diverse product range, take a look at our catalogue with yeasts from many different beers – styles old and new – from around the world.

The NCYC has a very extensive brewing collection at your service.

Benefits: Safe Deposit Service

Safe and Secure storage of your production yeast

Dedicated liquid nitrogen storage facility

Purity and QC analysis

DNA fingerprinting for detection of strain variation

Confide
ntial service

Insurance against production yeast variants or mutations

Over 30 years of expertise in cryopreservation

Benefits: Liquid Yeast Supply – Bulking up Service

Concentrated Pure liquid yeast ready to pitch (6 x 108 cells/mL)

No propagation needed. Volume ready to Pitch

Quantity ready to pitch from 2 to 30 bbl

Yeast delivered to your Brewery door

Use your own production yeast or select a strain (ale or lager) from our catalogue